Brunner pumps another $1.2 mil of his own cash into Senate race

St. Louis businessman John Brunner tossed another $1.2 million of his own money into his Senate bid in the first three months of 2012.

His campaign released summary sheets of his latest campaign finance report on Monday, showing that from January through March, Brunner used just over $1.2 million of his personal money to fuel his campaign.

That brings Brunner’s total contribution to $2.24 million so far this election. Brunner is one of three Republican candidates seeking to challenge incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., in November.

In addition to his own donation, Brunner raised about $160,000 from individual donors this quarter, his report shows. He spent more than $1.3 million in the 1st quarter and ended March with about $225,000 cash in the bank.

By dipping into his own pocket, Brunner is easily outpacing his two GOP rivals.

Rep. Todd Akin, R-St. Louis County, raised about $416,000 from January through March. Akin spent about $175,000 this quarter and ended March with $1.4 million in the bank.

Former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman’s campaign spokesman, Sam Steelman, said she would release her fundraising figures for the 1st quarter later today. The reports were due April 15, but won’t be publicly available for several days.